Found Family
by 105ttt
Summary: Green and the Green Maiden form a mother-son bond after the Shrine Maidens propose to take on the role of their "adoptive" mothers. Sometimes a family is five boys, one girl, and six women.
1. Chapter 1

The day started as it typically would. Expecting nothing special at all, Green got up and went through the motions of the morning: fixed his hair (which had suffered a severe case of bedhead), got dressed, gave his schedule a quick glance (the usual training was all he had planned for today), and then, with a small adjustment to his belt, left for the mess hall. He already knew how things would go. He'd walk into the mess hall, see Blue and Red already waiting there for him, and sit down. Blue would be trying to avoid eating the eggs on his plate for fear that he'd get the yolk all over his sleeves, and Red would be happily munching away on some bread with sweet jam. Vio would stumble in next and sit in his seat half-asleep (during which time Green would teasingly try to steal his bread), and finally Shadow would trudge into the room looking dead tired after a night of blogging and gaming. That was how it always went.

So it was a surprise when Green entered the mess hall and found not just Blue and Red there, but also Zelda and the Shrine Maidens. That didn't seem to phase Blue, though, because as soon as Green walked in, he said the same thing he always did.  
"Nice of you to show up for breakfast."

"Good morning to you too," Green answered with a grin. Blue's tone wasn't full of malice. It was actually more of a tease than an insult, and Blue broke his sleepy expression to give him a wink as Green took his seat.

"So, uh-"

"You want to know why the Maidens are here?"

Green faced Zelda, who had asked the question, and gave her a nod. She nodded back and simply said, "You'll have to wait and see. Go ahead and eat."

"I can't do that until Vio gets here! We always trade food. It's kind of like a miniature market between us, I'd say. It's a shame you two don't get in on it," Green smirked and looked back at the two Links sitting across from him. Blue shrugged and continued poking around the eggs on his plate.

"I don't need to trade any food."

"Really? You wouldn't trade those eggs you _love_ so much for something less messy? Say, some bread?" Green asked and held up his own bread slice as if he were showing it off in a market stall. Blue snorted and made a motion at Green to put the slice back on his plate, which earned another smirk from Green as he shrugged and put it down.

"Speaking of trading food, you might want to look behind you."

No sooner had Blue said that when Vio walked into the room, as if on cue, and waved to the others at the table. They waved back as he slowly made his way to his seat, and though it happened almost every day, they couldn't help but smile a bit when he flopped down into his seat and gave his plate a blank stare.

"Good morning, _princess_ ," Blue jokingly singsonged at Vio, only to realize that the real princess was in the room before adding, "Violet."

"Good morning, Blue," Vio returned with a pleasant half-asleep smile before leaning back in his seat with a sigh.

"Don't fall asleep again!" Red said, about to get out of his seat to go shake his teammate until he woke up again. Vio held out a hand while keeping his head upturned.

"I'm not going to fall asleep again."

"So, you didn't notice that we have some, uh… guests with us today?" Blue asked.

"I did. Good morning, Princess."

"Good morning to you, Vio," Zelda answered with a small giggle. She'd never seen Vio like this in the morning.

"Good morning to you, Maidens."

The Blue Maiden spoke out first.

"Good morning."

"May I ask why you're all gathered here, Princess?"

"You'll have to wait for Shadow to see."

"Alright. I'm going back to my room then," Vio jokingly asserted as he pretended to get up from his seat. Red gave a small objection as Vio sat back down, prompting a laugh from everyone at the table.

"Why does Shadow have to be here?" Green interjected, his brows raised.

"What we're here for involves him as well as the rest of you," the Yellow Maiden answered this time.

"Are we in trouble?" Red asked, shrinking into his seat a bit. "Is something wrong with the Four Sword or Dark Mirror?"

"Of course not," the Yellow Maiden assured him. "The Four Sword and Dark Mirror are both stable at the moment. This is about something my fellow Maidens and I came up with on our own."

"Is it something good?" Blue asked before casually taking another bite of his meal.

The Red Maiden was eager to answer this time.

"We hope it will be! But we have to wait for you all to be here first before we can say what it is - and see what you all think about it."

"What we think about it, huh…" Blue's voice trailed off.

It took a few more minutes of waiting filled with casual and light banter before Shadow finally made his grand entrance - if you can call walking into the room while hunched over and moaning a grand entrance. Blue said what they were all thinking after Shadow took his seat next to Red (he refused to sit on the same side of the table as Vio).

"You look like a zombie!"

"I'm a demon, actually."

"I said you _look_ like a zombie. Not that you _are_ one."

"I know, genius."

With that, Shadow stood up quickly to do an awkward bow in Zelda's direction. She stood up and curtsied in response, and the two sat down again.

"What's that all about?" Blue asked.

"It's the _princess_. I kind of need to show some respect."

"But she's basically our sister."

"Nothing wrong with showing respect to my sister."

"And what about the Maidens?"

Shadow went still for a second as he looked over at the Shrine Maidens standing by Zelda's side. An awkward silence fell over the room before the White Maiden interrupted.

"It is okay, child. You do not need to be afraid of us. We are not afraid of you - well, not anymore. The Princess has vouched for you, and we are willing to let the past be the past. Please do not be afraid to address us."

"Even so…" Shadow's voice trailed off as he sat back down. Green could see that he had physically retracted himself, holding his arms close to his sides and keeping his eyes off of the other people in the room. The silence lingered for just a bit longer before Red spoke up.

"Shadow's here now, so can we finally learn what's going on?"

"Oh, yes," Zelda replied before turning to the Maidens behind her. "Shall I explain, or will one of you do it?"

"I'd like to do it, if possible, Princess," the Blue Maiden suggested. Zelda gave her a nod, and everyone in the room's eyes were directed towards her (though Shadow only looked reluctantly and kept to himself as much as possible).

"Well, as you boys know, the six of us are sworn to be maidens for our entire lives. We have no spouses and no children of our own. Our days are occupied with keeping the Four Sword - and now the Dark Mirror - stable and healthy and enjoying our own little hobbies. Though we have each other for company, things can still be a bit… lonely at times, since we only have each other and cannot leave our convent often. We do not regret this lifestyle or dread our duties! We chose this life. But even so, we have come to a consensus about a potential way to make our lives a little less lonely."

"You're getting spouses after all? No, wait! You're going to get a pet!" Red said with a smile. The Blue Maiden shook her head in reply, and Red's smile faded. Green tried to give him an understanding smile to cheer him up, which worked as Red's smile returned just a bit.

"No, we're not getting spouses or a pet. Those were good guesses. Don't feel sad. You're very energetic. That's a good thing."

Red giggled and shyly rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks."

"Our consensus does involve us inviting more people to the convent, but not spouses of any sort. We understand that…" The Blue Maiden's voice trailed off for a bit. There was a pause, and the tension in the room rose a bit as the Blue Maiden struggled to find her words. With the Green Maiden's hand on her shoulder for encouragement, the Blue Maiden spoke again.

"We understand that your father, The Captain of the Knights of Hyrule, is busy, and your mother…" she stopped for a second, as if flinching, expecting one of the boys to suddenly grow angry and yell at her to not mention their mother. Instead, they simply kept their eyes on her, and she took another breath. Green had a feeling he knew where this was going, though he didn't want to believe it just yet.

"Your mother has been gone for years-"

"You can say she's dead," Blue interrupted. The Blue Maiden shrunk back a little, which prompted the Green Maiden to begin rubbing her arm gently until she regained her confidence. Meanwhile, Blue shrunk back a bit as well, realizing his tone had been a bit snappy. Red patted his hand and held it while Blue tried to find his words. The other two heroes at the table stayed quiet, though Vio could see that Green had put his hands in his lap, and now they were fists.

"I'm sorry, Miss… Blue Maiden. I just don't like sugar-coating. You can say she's dead. We know it," Blue apologized, his voice a lot quieter.

"If you say so…" The Blue Maiden swallowed before continuing her explanation. "Your mother has been dead for years. We know you all get to see your father on a daily basis when you train and go on missions, but you all don't really get the chance to do typical familial things with him because he has to constantly focus on his duties as a knight."

"I mean, we do get to spend time with him when we're off-duty and it's too late in the day to train," Green added before quickly going quiet again. The Blue Maiden nodded, if anything to try and calm Green's nerves.

"We understand that. But there are times when you're not training or patrolling the town and he is still responsible for so many things that keep him busy. That's not his fault or you boys' fault."

"Then what are you suggesting?" Vio asked. "What does all this have to do with your plan?"

"What we're suggesting is that perhaps we could…" The Blue Maiden gulped again and took a few seconds before finishing her statement. "Perhaps we could act as adoptive mothers for you boys that you can visit and spend time with when you're not busy."

The room was silent. The Blue Maiden embraced the Green Maiden as they all waited for a response. The Links, meanwhile, exchanged looks with each other across the table before Green spoke up.

"Could you give us a moment to talk about this together?"

"Of course," the Green Maiden answered as she continued holding the Blue Maiden, who was a bit tense.

"Thank you."

With that, the Links all huddled in the back of the room, diametrically opposed to the group of Shrine Maidens and Zelda in the front of the room. Occasionally, Shadow or Blue would look out from where they were convening to see if the others in the room could hear them.

"I don't know…" Red said, hesitating a bit.

"They mean well," Vio postulated.

"Maybe so, but are they serious? Are they really trying to replace our _mother_?" Blue asked, frowning a bit. It was clear he wasn't entirely on board with the idea.

"They're not trying to replace her, Blue. They'd never try to do that. Besides, they can't, no matter how hard they try," Green said. Blue just sighed.

"Okay, okay. Maybe I'm overreacting a bit about it. But even so, are they really willing to just take us in like their own kids? We hardly know them!"

"We _rescued_ them," Vio interjected.

"And we rescued _you_ once too, but do you think I know you at all? You're an alien creature to me, Vio. I don't get you at all," Blue teased with a wink as Vio elbowed him.

"You didn't have to rescue me. I was ready to die for my kingdom."

"Funny. That's not what I remember. You resisted being captured," Shadow said.

"Well, _excuse me_ for not liking being manhandled by _Hinoxes_."

"Wow, that's pretty rude of you, Vio. Those Hinoxes were my buddies!"

"Can we _please_ focus on the issue at hand? Vio, Shadow, you two can kill each other later," Green interrupted. Shadow snorted and stuck his tongue out at Vio, who returned the favor. Blue cleared his throat dramatically.

"Right. So. They want us to be like their… sons, I guess? That's all they want? And in return we basically get more familial care and love?"

"And maybe they'll make us whatever food we want? And buy us things?" Red added eyes bright with anticipation.

"They might spoil us!" Shadow said with a grin, rubbing his hands together.

"Or they might treat us like babies," Blue retorted, suddenly a bit less hopeful.

"And what exactly does that mean to you, Blue? Getting food and hugs whenever you want? Being allowed to sleep and relax whenever you want? I don't see any downsides," Vio replied with his brows raised. Blue sighed.

"It _also_ means they might not let us do whatever we want and enforce strict rules on us, _especially_ since they live in a convent of all places."

"Since when have rules ever stopped us?" Green asked with a smirk. Everyone else in the group gave him a smirk back as he continued talking with the biggest grin on his face.

"Since when was racing around the castle halls within the rules? Since when was stealing Arcy's pastries from the kitchen within the rules? Did the rules ever stop us?"

"Heck no!" Blue answered.

"Are we gonna let the fear of some arbitrary rules stop us from goofing off within reasonable boundaries?"

"Of course not!" Vio chimed in.

"So, are we going to give them a chance if it means we might get more food _and_ more stuff _and_ a reason to be gone from knight duties?"

"And more affection," Vio whispered to himself.

"Absolutely!" Red exclaimed.

And with that, the deal was sealed.

The Links broke apart from the their huddle and walked to the front of the room, standing before the group that had been waiting for them. With an air of importance that was a bit out of place, Green offered their answer.

"We would love to take you up on your offer, Shrine Maidens."

The Blue Maiden, who had finally calmed down, smiled at him excitedly.

"Excellent."


	2. Chapter 2

"So how's this going to work?" Blue asked. "Are we all just going to collectively be the sons of every one of you? Or…?"

"Oh, no!" The Red Maiden answered. "We were thinking we would have one boy assigned to one Maiden. It makes things simpler and lets us have a more personal relationship with you."

Shadow laughed. "Let me guess, you're going to assign us our new mothers based on color, right?"

The Red Maiden blushed a bit, her voice quieter this time. "Well, yes, that was what we agreed on."

Shadow shook his head. "Of course. We get stuff like that all the time. Alright. So that means…" His voice trailed off before he suddenly pointed at the Red Maiden herself. "You're taking Red?"

"I mean, I'm not _taking_ him. I'm just going to-"

Shadow pointed at the Purple Maiden. "Vio?"

The Purple Maiden nodded.

"Good riddance," Shadow mumbled. Vio glared at him from behind and muttered something under his breath that Green would not want to repeat to anyone.

Shadow then went about to the Blue and Green Maidens and did the same thing for the both of them (making sure to say "Hylia help you" to the Blue Maiden when he questioned her about Blue), and then let out another laugh after he had finished.

"There's a problem here! I don't see a Black Maiden around here. And though you all said that you aren't scared of me, I know it's not so easy to forgive someone who really hurt you," he admitted as he sent a glare Vio's way. "So I guess that means I'm excluded!"

"If that were true," the White Maiden spoke up, "then why would we have waited for you to get here before telling everyone our plan?"

It took a few seconds, but suddenly something in Shadow's mind clicked.

"No way."

"Yes, way," the White Maiden smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"... Is it because my sleeves are white?"

"Maybe so," the White Maiden admitted with a laugh. Shadow laughed with her.

"This is ridiculous! I love it. But what about the Yellow Maiden?"

"That's where _I_ come in," Zelda replied. "As you know, my parents are dead. Both of them. So I will gladly take my place as the Yellow Maiden's adoptive child if you all agree to do the same with your respective Maidens."

"When you say 'adoptive'," Green started, "do you mean you're really legally going to adopt us? We do still have a father, I mean."

The White Maiden shook her head. "Of course not. We just don't know how else to describe the kind of family we imagine with this proposition. You will still legally be the children of your father, and in the Princess' case, she will legally be an orphan."

"So it's like a found family?" Blue mumbled shyly. That prompted glances from the other Links, who were surprised by his tone.

"Sure, you could say that," the White Maiden said with a smile.

"Well, alright."

"If that's settled, then I suppose it's time we took you to your new rooms in the convent! Green, come with me," the Green Maiden said as she offered her hand out to him. For a second, Green hesitated to take it. The surprise had stopped him in his tracks.

"You already made rooms for us?"

"Well, I'm not sure if everyone else here has, but I have one in mind for you."

"Oh… okay. Well, uh…"

Green turned back to face the others.

"I guess I'll see you guys later. Good luck with your, uh… new moms."

They all gave him a nod, and he took the Green Maiden's hand.

* * *

It was a few minutes before either of them spoke as they walked, but the Green Maiden was the one to start the conversation.

"I'm very glad you boys agreed to this."

"Of course," Green said with a laugh, trying to alleviate the awkwardness. "It seems like a great idea."

"I hope we get along very well."

"Me too. I'm sure we will, Miss, uh…"

"You can call me 'Mother' if you like."

"Okay… Mother."

The silence returned for a second.

"I hope you understand I'm not trying to replace your real mother."

"I understand! We actually talked about that when we were huddled up."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Blue was apprehensive about it at first, but we convinced him that you all only mean well.'

"I see… Well, we certainly are glad you boys will be here with us. The company will benefit all of us. And you're lucky too. Usually no men are allowed in the convent."

"Then, are we allowed in because we're…" Green's voice trailed off. The Green Maiden gasped softly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything disrespectful. My fellow Maidens and I have gone through a similar experience of people not seeing us as what we are. We understand what that feels like, though lately it has gotten a bit better since we all started living together."

Green stopped walking for a second. "All of you?"

The Green Maiden nodded. "Yes. All of us. And we have allowed you into the convent because you are far too young to even think about courting us, as some men would try to do. I assure you that is our only reason. We do not mean to imply you aren't men. And we will do whatever we can to support you while you are with us."

"Huh… okay. Thank you, Mother."

"Of course. What should I call you?"

"What should _you_ call _me_? I guess Green is fine."

"How about familial nicknames?"

"Like?"

"Like 'sweetie' or 'dear'."

"Oh. If you mean them in a familial way… I guess those are fine."

"Alright, dear."

The two of them started walking again. Green didn't want to admit it yet, but hearing the Green Maiden call him something like that so gently while walking hand-in-hand with her almost made him want to cry.

* * *

When they finally reached the convent, Green could have sworn he was dreaming. The room surrounding him was coated in an opalescent glow; a whirlwind of soft, bright colors consumed his vision entirely. It was a giant space with a round center, and above them was only a large window occupying the whole ceiling, letting in rich sunlight for the various flowering plants and vines draped around the pillars and fixtures in the room. Had he not known better, Green would have sworn the entire building was enchanted and that he was merely seeing an illusion of sheer beauty. Beyond the round center of the room were six doorways leading to long hallways, which he assumed corresponded to the six Maidens.

"Is this really where you live?" Green breathed in astonishment.

"This is the common room. We come here to talk and such when we're not in our own parts of the convent. Don't let this raise your expectations too much. Our own parts of the convent are much different from this."

"I bet it's just as beautiful!" He smiled at her, eyes glittering with wonder.

"Perhaps. I'll let you be the judge of that. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all."

"Anyone who says this isn't beautiful is kidding themselves!" Green exclaimed as he ran over to a marble pillar near himself and stroked it. The plethora of bright colors and the cold, smooth texture were mesmerizing. It was soothing on a level he couldn't explain with anything other than some kind of magic - and yet it really was all right in front of him. There were no tricks here. It was breathtaking.

Though he didn't see it, the Green Maiden was smiling at him from behind. The joy and excitement in his demeanor was precious. She couldn't have asked for anything else in that moment.

"So which one goes to your part of the convent?" Green turned back to the Green Maiden, now bouncy and eager to go. "Which doorway, I mean."

"Which one do you think it is?" She smiled at him teasingly. He looked around at each one, even going so far to put his hand on his chin as if seriously thinking about it just to humor her joke.

"Hm… how about this one?" He said as he pointed to the one fourth from the left. She shook her head.

"Nope! You're close. Mine is the one to the left of that."

"Third from the left?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go!" Green said as he ran off in that direction. The Green Maiden shook her head again, this time in disbelief at how energetic Green had become just from his first impression of the common room. She had to admit, she was impressed too when she had first arrived there. Perhaps it was an unavoidable reaction. But she had no time to think about that. Her son was running off without her.

When the Green Maiden finally caught up to Green, he was standing in front of the door at the end of the hallway, catching his breath.

"The door won't open!"

"It's always locked for safety reasons. I have the key for it."

"Do I get one?"

"Maybe someday soon. But there's only one key made for this door at the moment."

Green sulked a little, but watched attentively as the Green Maiden unlocked the door. It was a bit endearing seeing how interested he was in everything going on - even something as simple as opening a door. The Green Maiden had a feeling it was going to be fun to learn more about him, even if he was only so energetic right now because of everything being so new to him.

When the door opened, the two of them were greeted by the smell of various flowers. They entered a small room with a central table and cabinets and desks laden with plants of all kinds. On some desks lay notebooks and textbooks detailing all sorts of information about all kinds of plants. It didn't take long for Green to make a connection.

"Are the plants out in the common room yours?"

"I do take care of them, but the others help."

"So, your hobby is taking care of plants?" Green queried as he went around the room smelling various flowers and admiring their rich colors. One particular flower made him sneeze when he tried to smell it, but he tried to hide it and quickly walked away from it as if nothing had happened.

"It's my hobby as well as my role as part of the convent's residents."

"Your role?" He asked and looked back at her from across the room. His curiosity and energy had taken him halfway around the room already.

"Yes. Since we don't leave the convent often, the other Maidens and I have developed a sort of miniature market between ourselves. I provide plants for the others, and they make things we need or want with them."

There was a huge grin on Green's face. "So you're like a team? And you're the one who provides them with the essentials they need to be successful? You give them what they need to pursue their goals and perfect their own unique skills?"

"I guess you could put it that way. I grow plants that the Purple, Blue, and White Maidens use for their own hobbies. The Yellow and Red Maidens make things of their own too that we all share amongst ourselves."

"So you're like a team that supports each other?"

"Sure."

"What do the other Maidens do?"

"The Purple Maiden makes potions and perfumes of all sorts. The Blue Maiden and White Maidens are more spiritual. The Blue Maiden does divination while the White Maiden is skilled in meditation and relaxation."

"And the other two?"

"The Red Maiden is a bit of a fashionista. Have you noticed her appearance?"

Green nodded. "She's got a really cute hairstyle!"

"She tries to make a statement with everything she has and does. Not only does she dress in a special way, but she's always updating her part of the convent to match current trends."

"And the Yellow Maiden?"

"She's got a knack for jewels and minerals. You remember how she gave you the Moon Pearl?"

Green gasped. "Yeah! Does she collect those?"

"She collects whatever jewels and minerals she can find and tries to investigate their properties."

"So you're not only a team, but you each have a special thing about you that makes you unique! And all of that comes together to make you successful!"

"Sure. But keep in mind we all know how to do basic things as well, like cooking and cleaning."

"Right, right," Green laughed. "Sorry. That just reminds me of my own team. And you're even color-coded like us!" He paused for a second. "Is that intentional? It's a little ironic that the _Green_ Maiden is the one who tends to plants."

The Green Maiden nodded. "We abandoned our old names and old selves when we agreed to this life - for multiple reasons, as you can guess."

Green nodded. "I would too. That's why I picked the name Link once I was old enough to pick one. But does that mean you were assigned your colors and roles?"

The Green Maiden hesitated. "It was more like we picked our roles first, and then we worried about our appearances. You can probably imagine this hair color isn't natural. The only people who naturally have red hair like the Red Maiden are Gerudo."

"You're right… could I get my hair dyed too?"

"What?"

"It looks cool! Maybe everyone on my team can dye their hair too, and then we'll match with you guys!"

"Maybe," the Green Maiden replied with a giggle. This boy was too much. "In any case, we've talked too much. Wouldn't you like to see your room?"

Green's face (and ears) perked up. "Oh, yeah! Where is it?"

"Go through that door to your left."

Green looked around for said door and, upon spotting it, dashed over to it with the same eagerness he had whenever Arcy called the knights in from the training grounds for dinner. When he opened the door, he was greeted with a smaller room that was, for the most part, empty (save a dresser on one wall, a window on the wall next to it, and a small desk on another wall).

"It's a work in progress. You'll have to excuse me," the Green Maiden apologized. "I wasn't sure if you boys were going to accept our offer, so I didn't prepare the room fully just yet. I just removed the plants that I had stored in here and the excess cabinets. I haven't had the time to ask for an extra bed to put in here, and I wasn't sure what kind of decorations you like, so I just left a dresser and a desk and-"

The Green Maiden's voice was cut off as Green grabbed her hands and held them between them. He tried his best to give her a reassuring look.

"It's okay. The fact that you even cleaned out the room for me and offered it to me is enough."

The Green Maiden was still for a second, then nodded slowly.

"But don't you have a room in the castle already?"

"Yeah, but that one was already decorated and was a guest room before! I have my own room meant for _me_ now that I can go to without being bothered by anyone! And I can decorate it how I want to! I think that's an upgrade, if you ask me!" He answered with a grin. The Green Maiden grinned back.

"Well, if that's how you feel about it, I'll send for an extra bed to put in here so it will be a proper room."  
"Thank you, Mother."

The Green Maiden sighed and withdrew her hands back to her side.

"Right. Well, I will eventually let you investigate what's in your room at the moment, but first, I would like to sit down and have a talk with you."

"A talk?" Green's tone dropped a little. "Am I in trouble already?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I just want to learn more about what you like and what you're like so that we can get along better. I already told you about myself; it only seems natural that you do the same for me."

"Oh…" Green said as he watched the Green Maiden sit at the table back in the main room and followed suit. They sat across from each other - which, Green thought, was a bit awkward, especially since he'd never really done this before - and Green waited for the Green Maiden to ask him something. Rather than asking something, though, the Green Maiden noticed he was avoiding eye contact as much as possible, mostly looking down at the table.

"Are you shy?"

"Oh, no! I'm just waiting for you to ask me something, that's all."

"I see. Does eye contact make you uncomfortable?"

There was a moment of silence. Green thought his heart skipped a beat, but he pushed aside the sudden worry and answered truthfully.

"I'm not really good at keeping eye contact."

"That's alright. If it would make you feel better, you don't have to look right at me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Green breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Hylia. Sometimes people think that's weird that I don't like to look into people's eyes, but I just can't do it! They think I'm not paying attention! But I am! I just can't look into their eyes! So, uh… thank you for understanding."

"Of course. Now that we've gotten somewhere, why don't you tell me some other stuff about yourself?"

"Oh, uh… well, I like money."

"Most people do," the Green Maiden laughed.

"No, I mean that I like saving it and spending it wisely! Vio says that makes me a cheapskate, but you know what I think? I think there's nothing wrong with saving money if it means you'll have more later for when you need it!"

"So that means I won't have to worry about you asking for lots of expensive things?" The Green Maiden laughed again.

"I guess so," Green said with an embarrassed smile. "I like to spend money on others more than myself! Money can buy things that make people happy, and seeing others be happy makes me even happier than them."

"That's very sweet."

"It's true! … I also like food a lot. I ask for seconds whenever there's enough for it, and Blue picks on that a lot. They don't give me a break! But it's all good fun. I know they don't mean it in a mean way."

"What are your favorites?"

The tiny devil inside Green's mind had been quiet until now, but this question was enough to awaken it. _Bingo_.

"Well, I like all kinds of breads! And confectionery! Comfort food is really good."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind."

The conversation went on like that for a while. As it went on, the Green Maiden was cherishing every moment, watching Green absolutely glow with joy as he talked on and on about himself, his teammates, and his favorite things.


	3. Chapter 3

_Skip to a few months later…_

He's running. He's running. And he can't stop running. He doesn't know what from. He just knows he's got to keep running. He's got to get away, got to find an exit before it's too late.

Then he hits a dead end. Oh Hylia, he's trapped. There's nowhere to run. And whatever is chasing him - as he's just realized he's being followed - is catching up quickly. Too quickly. He has no time to think. There has to be a way out, there has to be a way.

But the thing that he's been running from is now right in front of him. It's hideous. It's monstrous. And he remembers what it is. It's Valensuela, except at the same time, it's _not_ Valensuela. His fellow knight is trapped somewhere deep down inside the consciousness of this _thing_. He doesn't know what he's doing, and he won't even remember what he was doing if he ever wakes up. If.

Maybe that's a good thing, because even if the time is different, the song and dance are the same. Green is trapped between a rock and a hard place, and the possessed body of his fellow knight has an insatiable lust for blood. Maybe it's better Valensuela doesn't know what he's doing and won't remember what he's about to do, because his sword is high in the air, about to finish Green off, about to slice right through his golden hair and leave it stained red.

Green knows exactly what he's supposed to do. He's supposed to bring out the Moon Pearl and save himself before it's too late. But he can't. Everything is cold, everything is dark, everything is horrifying. And he can't move. No matter how much he tells his arms to move, they won't. It almost makes him want to cry too, except he can't do that either. All his body will let him do is stand there like a sitting duck, waiting for Valensuela's sword to deal the fatal blow. Was the monster always this scary? Was it always this big, looming over him and making him feel like an insect, about to be killed off without a second thought? Was he always this frightened? Why was he back here? And how come nothing around him feels real, yet the rushed heartbeat reverberating in his mind feels very real?

There's no time to think of the answers, because it only takes a millisecond for Valensuela to bring down his sword, and right as it grazes Green's scalp, everything stops.

The next thing Green knew, he was sitting upright in bed in his room. Naturally, he had woken up in a cold sweat, and his heart was still racing as fast as it had been a few moments earlier. It didn't take long for him to retreat back under the covers for safety; the room was all dark, and even the slightest motion gave him a start. He tried his best to steady his breathing and wait for his heartbeat to slow down, but the mental image of a possessed Valensuela set on killing him kept flashing in and out of his mind and making him shiver. It wasn't until the Green Maiden suddenly opened the door to his room out of nowhere that he flinched and let out a small yell before figuring out who it was. For a moment, he almost thought the monster had somehow found him here and was coming to really finish the job, but the smaller figure of his mother in the light of the candle she held let him know he was wrong.

"Are you alright?! I heard a scream coming from your room," The Green Maiden asked, still lingering in the doorway. She didn't want to approach too quickly, just in case he wasn't in the mood for company. When she saw him turn away from her and heard a small sob instead of an answer, she sighed and slowly approached. She set her candle on the nightstand next to his bed and was about to sit down next to him, but stopped.

"Can I sit down here? Is that okay?"

She heard a muffled "Mm-hmm" followed by a snort and sat down next to him before gently stroking his hair. She could feel that he was still shivering a bit.

"Are you alright?"

She got another muffled response, followed by a sniffle. He was trying to hide in his blankets as much as possible.

"I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No."

She sighed and lay down next to him, continuing to stroke his hair and keep him close until she felt the shivering stop and heard the sobs die down a bit.

"It's going to be alright, sweetie. It was just a nightmare."

"Mm-hmm."

"Do you want me to stay here?"

"Maybe a little."

"Alright."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes before Green sat up and faced his mother. His face was still red from the crying, and he occasionally snorted involuntarily as he tried to calm his breathing. The Green Maiden tried to give him a gentle smile and didn't say a word until he was ready to talk.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, sweetie. It's okay."

"It's stupid. I shouldn't have acted like that."

"Don't say that. You were frightened."

He was quiet again for a second.

"Did I ever tell you exactly what happened to me on my journey? Did I ever mention it?"

"You told me some things."

"Did I tell you about the Gerudo Pyramid?"

"You mentioned it, but you seemed to have tried to avoid dwelling on it too much when you did."

"Well, there's a reason for that," he replied as he started rubbing his own arms. The Green Maiden noticed he was looking away the entire time while talking, but not in the same way that he normally did. This time, he was sulking a lot more, and his voice was quiet and still a bit shaky from crying earlier. She sat there and waited for him to speak again.

"When I was on my journey with the others, there was a time when we all got separated - I think I told you that part. I ended up in a Gerudo village inside the Desert of Doubt. I think I told you that too. But after I realized I had to find the others again, I rushed off into the desert without thinking, and I was about to suffocate from the sandstorm blowing sand into my lungs until I found a Gerudo Pyramid. I wasn't thinking! I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be in there! But I was scared and coughing my lungs out, so I went in there. Inside, there were a bunch of monsters, and one of them…" his voice trailed off for a second. "One of them was Valensuela. Well, it was his _body_ , but he was being possessed by Ganon's dark magic. He chased me around the pyramid's maze until I hit a dead end, and I only barely escaped with my life. It's not his fault! He didn't know what he was doing. But it still really scared me. I thought I was a goner. It was a miracle I even remembered that I had the Moon Pearl and knew how to use it to save myself. But he nearly killed me. I thought I had gotten over it once I left, but I guess I didn't…"

"Is that what your nightmare was about?"

Green nodded. "Except this time, I didn't make it out. He…"

"I know. You don't need to say it."

"I woke up right before it happened though."

"That sounds right. Your mind can't imagine what dying is like if you've never experienced it before."

"Yeah…"

Silence.

"Do you need anything?"

"Can I… No, forget it."

"No, sweetie. Say it. It's okay."

"Can I… sleep next to you for the rest of the night? In your room?"

The Green Maiden's heart skipped a beat for a second. Then, she gave him a sweet smile.

"Of course, dear."

"Can I hold the candle on the way to your room? The dark is a bit scary."

"Absolutely. Just don't drop it. I'll let you hold my hand while we walk, okay?"

"Okay."


End file.
